Compulsory Voting In The United States

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About 13% of countries have compulsory voting laws. This means everyone is required to vote and it is every citizen's responsibility to elect their representatives. Some countries even go as far as to have sanctions for those that don't vote. However most countries believe that voting is a right of citizenship and not a required duty. For the U.S. to enforce compulsory voting laws would be considered unconstitutional and greatly decrease the accuracy of our electoral polls.

Our constitution gives us the freedom of speech. We have the right to voice our opinions but also have the right to remain silent. Making voting a requirement goes against this democratic freedom. The origins of voting from Rome, Greece, and Athens all were meant to give their people a voice. They wanted to give citizens a chance to give input and add diverse opinions to every decision. Forcing voting does not coincide with this original idea that was the reason we even have voting. …show more content…

Australia's voting turnout has gone from as low as 24% up to about 95%. This difference is very substantial but is voting turnout really the most important aspect of an electoral democracy? "Voters who are voting against their free will may check off a candidate at random, particularly the top candidate on the ballot. The voter does not care whom they vote for as long as the government is satisfied that they fulfilled their civic duty." as said by the Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance. Compulsory voting laws require that everyone submits their vote but doesn't require that they make an educated vote. This could result in an inaccurate voice of the people and just make the electoral process more

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